Review: Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash (Flavoured Rum)  68.5/100
Review by Chip Dykstra (Aka The Rum Howler)
Published March 16, 2018

This week I was sent a bottle of Captain Morgan’s newest flavoured rum, Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash. The product was described to me as a gluten-free flavoured rum which arrives in a nifty scratch and sniff melon shaped (and apparently scented) round rum bottle similar to the bottle used for the previously released: Captain Morgan Loconut,  Captain Morgan Jack-O’Blast Pumpkin Spiced and Captain Morgan Cannon Blast Rums.

According to the Captain Morgan Website:

The latest rum bottle from the Captain is bursting with juicy watermelon flavor. So flavorful, even our pack is scented! Simply enjoy as a chilled shot for instantly delicious fun or create a refreshing spritzer by mixing with club soda and a lemon garnish. Pick up some Watermelon Smash today to party like a Captain all summer long.

Watermelon Smash bottled at 25 % alcohol by volume and was apparently is designed primarily to be consumed as a shot; however, it is also can be mixed in fun cocktails such as the Watermelon Spritzer or the Watermelon Mojito.

In the Bottle 5/5

The new Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash is pictured to the left. The bottle is designed to resemble a real watermelon and the bottle itself even carries a realistic watermelon scent. (The watermelon has apparently cracked in several places and you can see the red melon fruit inside.

The iconic Captain Morgan figure has his left leg is perched upon a small cannon and beside the cannon is written, “AN EXPLOSIVE WATERMELON SHOT“.

The flavoured rum is bottled at 25 % alcohol by volume, so I am not really sure how explosive this shot can be, but I like the bottle and the label which is sure to attract attention in a retail setting.

In the Glass 7/10

When poured into the glass, I see the flavoured rum has a reddish colour similar to the colour of watermelon flesh. When I inspected my bottle again I see that the product is described as being the product of Caribbean Rum, natural flavours and certified color. I wasn’t sure what was meant by certified color so I did a little research and learned that colour additives which are added to food (or spirits) in the USA must be approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Basically for the purposes of this review, this means that we can assume the colour of the flavoured spirit is no natural,rather it is derived from some sort of additive.

When I brought my glass to my nose, I found the aroma disappointing. Whereas the bottle itself seemed to have a nice watermelon-like scent, the actual flavoured liquor carried an additional sweetness. In addition, this sweetness seemed vaguely artificial. Perhaps my knowledge that the rum was enhanced with an artificial colour was tainting my perception, but the aroma as well seemed to carry that same unnatural taint.

In the Mouth 39/60

I decided to begin my examination by constructing some of the signature cocktails sent to me by the Captain Morgan team. I started with the Watermelon Smash Shot, and I served one to my friend who was sampling the spirit with me. His reaction was telling as he put his shot glass down after swallowing the shot and said,

“This is Ucky!”

He was right. The flavour just doesn’t work. When I eat watermelon, the fruit is only lightly sweet, and that is its primary charm. The Watermelon Smash is sweet, and carries a vaguely artificial flavour. The combination does not work for me. As a shooting spirit, this just doesn’t pass muster.

I mixed the Watermelon Spritzer next. This time the mixed drink was somewhat pleasing. The addition of club soda and lots of ice with the lemon lime soda seemed to quell that unnatural sweetness to a large extent. It actually tasted much more like real watermelon now. (Although I was not particularly enthusiastic, I have shared all three Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash signature recipes below.)

In the Throat 10.5/15

When my friend and I swallowed the shot of Watermelon Smash, one of the aspects of the flavour which disappointed us was an odd metallic aftertaste which to me resembled the aftertaste of an artificial sugar sweetener. It was oddly penetrating and kind of hung around longer than I wished.

The Afterburn 7/10

Captain Morgan has made a number of these ‘shot style’ spiced and flavoured rums in the past few years and they have been a mixed lot. Whereas I really liked their Pumpkin Spiced Rum and the coconut flavoured, Loconut, I was not enthusiastic at all regarding their spicy Cannon Blast. Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash unfortunately misses the mark for me as well.

If you are interested in comparing more scores, here is a link to my other published Rum Reviews.

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Suggested Servings

Here are some of the suggestions servings sent to me by the Captain Morgan Media Team.

Chilled Watermelon Smash Shot

1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash

Pour 1.5 oz. of Watermelon Smash into a metal shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a chilled shot glass
Enjoy Responsibly!

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Watermelon Spritzer

1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash
3/4 oz. Club Soda
3/4 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda
Ice
Lemon Slice

Fill a highball glass with Ice
Add the Watermelon Smash and soda
Garnish with a Lemon Slice
Serve
Enjoy Responsibly!

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Watermelon Mojito

1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan Watermelon Smash
1/2 oz. Captain Morgan White Rum
3/4 oz. Lime Juice
1/2 oz. Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Club soda
Mint leaves

Muddle mint leaves, sugar syrup, and lime juice in a highball glass
Add ice
Top with club soda
Garnish with watermelon and mint leaves
Enjoy Responsibly!

Note: If  you are interested in more cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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My Final Score is out of 100 and you may (loosely) interpret the score as follows:

0-25 A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49 Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59 You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69 Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74 Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky. Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79 You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84 We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89 Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94 Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+ I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal scale as follows:

70 – 79.5 Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5 Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95 Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+ Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)